Unaffected
by RoboMonkey2012
Summary: AU. A galaxy run by a controlling empire known as 4Kids. Eight human rebels. A whole mess of anthropomorphic pokémon. Is Misty ready to be a hero? Inspired by Starflight: Rebellion by Catalina Storm. T for safety. DISCONTINUED
1. Chapter 1: Inside the 4Kids Empire

Unaffected

By RoboMonkey2012

**Monkey: Welcome one and all to my first science fiction fanfic! TA-DA! I don't know about all of you, but I think It's going to be awesome! And without further ado: The novel!**

Chapter 1: Inside the 4Kids Empire

There it was, that rumble again. Misty looked up from her position on the peak of the skyscraper. If the "people" down there could hear it at all, they would assume it was thunder, even though the sky was cloudless on that September day. The wind ruffled Misty's long, red hair as she stood with a hand on the lightning rod to keep her balance. _The rumble's getting louder, _Misty thought. _Maybe I'm paranoid. Maybe it is just thunder._ After a brief internal debate, Misty decided her imagination had gotten the best of her again and there was just thunder and to come down from the skyscraper a hundred feet up before she fell and ended up a grease spot on the pavement. With the silence and agility of a cat, she jumped down from the peak and onto the observation deck below. Nobody paid any mind. Brainless tourists. Everyone on Planet Cerulean was brainwashed. Except for Misty. She was resistant to whatever they used to put everyone under the control of the 4Kids Empire. The people were all in a kind of sleepwalker-y trance. If one happened to surface and break a rule, the 4K Cops melted out of the woodwork and took the citizen away to be re-drugged. If a repeat offense occurs, it's punishable by imprisonment, and, though most don't know this, death. The sun is restricted from stopping it's shining except for when rain or other weather is necessary. The grass is hyper-injected with extra chlorophyll to make it the perfect shade of kelley-green. The sky is scientifically died hyper-blue. The clouds are spun in the 4Kids Empire to get that perfect white, fluffy shape. The flowers looked more crepe-paper and pipe cleaner than real flowers. People were polite, grateful, agreeable, and friendly to total strangers. The main city of Ceruleanopolis was surrounded by a towering white marble wall. Going beyond the wall is strictly forbidden by 4Kids. Misty had felt a burning desire to scale that wall, and see if there really was "bloodthirsty, dangerous, man-eating pokémon anti-anthros," and "poisonous fruits and berries and savages," beyond that pristine wall. The city itself was full of tall buildings. 4Kids forbade having more than two children to prevent overpopulation. And everyone obeyed. Misty was a Younger, the second-born child in a family. Her sister Daisy was an Older. Olders and Youngers were commonly arguing, but they always ended up smiling. They _were_ siblings, after all. Misty didn't stick around her "home" much anymore. After fifteen years of not being under 4Kid's spell, she wandered around as much as she could. Once, when she was thirteen and EXTREMELY bored, she decided to go to the wall, and see if she could cross the city through the center. She could, but she was dead tired afterwards. This gives you an idea of how big the city was. But in Misty's opinion, it wasn't big enough. There was more out there, and she had to know what! She'd seen freighter crafts with pokéanthro crews arrive and leave each day as her father went to work and came home, all the while smiling. Everyone smiled. Misty had to smile when she was out in public. She didn't know why, exactly, but if the 4Kids Cops found out she was Unaffected, she would be executed, or worse, exiled to Planet Snowpoint way over in the Sinnoh star system. Unaffecteds were dangerous. Unaffecteds were illegal. Unaffecteds were Not Human and were to be Executed. it was very, very risky living as an Unaffected. Which was why Misty wanted to leave her home planet so badly. She was desperate to find a place where Unnafecteds could live peacefully. _Hey,_ her inner rebel thought. _Why not make the entire galaxy safe for Unnafecteds? Why not overthrow the 4Kids Empire?_ Misty's sane mind said that was crazy. She was better off hiding. _Maybe, but if it works..._ Misty thought. Misty shook the thought of rebellion out of her head. It was safer hiding. Less likely to be shot with a ray blaster.

Misty lived near the wall of Ceruleanopolis, in the apartment building known as 4KIDS HOUSING BUILDING 204. Did that mean 104 as in there were 103 others? Or 104 as in there were 104 floors? Misty still wasn't sure. Instead of going in to her mother, who wore color-block dresses and aprons and cooked a whole lot, her father, who wore a grey overcoat and shiny black shoes and loved watching sports, and her sister, who wore hideous clothes the 4Kids pop culture magazines called "fashion" and talked on the holophone, she went to the wall. Guards here were thin, as the apartments weren't considered volatile enough to have security. It was at least twenty times taller than Misty, gleaming white and totally smooth. Flawless. A miracle of perfection, as the 4Kids emperor would say. Wasn't that redundant? There was a tiny gap in the stones of the wall, and Misty would look through at the forest. It didn't look scary or poisonous. For the billionth time today, Misty wondered how long it would take to climb. Then, something amazing happened. She saw a ladder carved out of the stone, going all the way up the wall. Now was her chance! She could leave this blasted city and go...somewhere, anywhere! Before she could stop to think, she'd seized the first rung and was three-quarters of the way up. As she was about to cross the wall, she stopped. _What if I get killed?_ Misty shook her head sadly. _The people would just go on about their daily lives, probably, not caring one bit. So why shouldn't I? _Then she kept climbing. On top of the wall, she could see everything, right out to the other side of the city. Then, Misty turned around and climbed down the ladder on the other side.

**Monkey: That concludes chapter 1! What is really behind the wall? Who is the Emperor of the 4Kids Empire? WHY ARE SNAILS SLIMY? Find out these questions on the next chapter!**

**Voltage(he's my luxray): Quit talking like a TV announcer! *Muttering* Geez, my sister gets a gym leader, and I get a nut for a trainer.**

**Monkey: I heard that!**

**Hurricane(she's my absol): Voltage, we all know you're a sadist and a cynic, there's no need to show it.**

**Willow(she's my staraptor): If he doesn't say it, how will we know it?**

**Hurricane: I was telling him to shut his trap.**

**Ace(he's my salamence): Ohhhh, I get it!**

**Ramona(she's my gardevoir): There's too much emotion around here! Tone it down!**

**Mystique(she's my gyrados): I'm hungry!**

**Rusty(he's my riolu): RoboMonkey2012 doesn't own the pokémon franchise or 4Kids or any of the species listed here. She owns the nicknames in her Pearl version. I want cheese.**


	2. Chapter 2: Flight of the Comet

Unaffected

By RoboMonkey2012

**Monkey: Welcome to chapter 2 of my sci-fi novel! Enjoy! Reviews are love.**

Chapter 2: Flight of the Comet

The woods weren't nearly as dangerous as 4Kids made it out to be. Sure, they were big and the trees were tall, but there wasn't anything that immediately struck Misty as "dangerous." _Well, I'm over the wall. Now what? _Misty asked herself. As if on cue, an explosion shook the forest, scaring a few small bird anthros. Misty jumped and looked around for the source of the explosion. It might have been a starfighter crash. But that was unlikely, considering the fact that Planet Cerulean was secluded by the asteroids circling Cerulean, Pewter, and Celadon. The planets in this three-planet mini-system were always in close contact. 4Kids would know who and what and where crashed outside Ceruleanopolis. The 4Kids Cops would be here soon. It was forbidden to land a starfighter outside the limits of a city. Misty looked around and saw that the plume of smoke that promised a starfighter was to her right. She, being the rebel that she was, ran toward it.

Sure enough, the funnel of smoke came from a starfighter, but not the craft itself. It was coming from the engine of the starfighter, which had probably overheated. The 'fighter was magnificent. It was a private craft, pretty small and slightly banged-up. The wingspan was thirty feet across with two-foot wingtips, the body sleek and wide. It was painted a shiny racing-red, with a horizontal line of cyan bordered by silver. The underside was shiny silver, marred by the dirt streaks and grass stains from the crash. The pilot, a boy barely older than Misty, was standing over the engine, wearing a flight suit the same colors as his craft. He had unkempt black hair and cyan wraparound goggles.

"Crap, blew a fizzrocket!" he muttered, tinkering with the engine. "I'll be stuck here for a while. Hey, Al!"

A pikachu anthro with the same flight suit, an earpiece, and floppy orange-yellow hair with his long pikachu ears sticking up from under a racing-red mechanic's cap walked out of the wrecked craft.

"Al's OOC," said the anthro.

"Out of character?" the human called to the anthro.

"Out of commission," the anthro called back. "He had too much Red Tauros before we crashed, and now he's conked out on top of the refrigerator."

"Damn," the pilot groaned. "Now we're stuck here."

"It might not be so bad!" chirped a cheery voice from behind the pikachu anthro. An anthropomorphic pidgeot came up and fluttered her wings cheerfully. "We could be stranded in the Unova system again."

"Jess, stop trying to cheer everyone up for the fourth crash this month! It ain't working!" said the pikachu anthro.

The pilot pulled his head out of the engine, face smeared with oil. "We aren't stranded here forever. All we need is a new fizzrocket, and I think Al keeps one in his toolbox."

"But his toolbox is locked and only Al has the key," said Jess, the pidgeot.

"That blastoise will be the undoing of this team," said a new voice, this one belonging to an anthropomorphic venusaur. "Jess, LR, cap, what's taking so long?"

"Cap needs a new fizzrocket," said the pikachu, who was probably LR. "We think Al has one, but he's still conked out. We'll never get to the Hoenn system now."

"Dang, that's it?" scoffed the venusaur, pulling a small gadget out of his flight suit's pocket. "Here ya go."

"You had this all along?" roared LR. "Dude, we could have been outta here in three seconds if you'd spoken up!"

"Geez, LR, take a chill pill!" said the venusaur. "Ain't my fault we crashed."

"No," said LR, pinching the bridge of his nose. "But, Ledge, it IS your fault there aren't any more bluegrass muffins."

"You're still hung up on that? What did I tell you? Vance ate all the muffins!" said Ledge, the venusaur.

"Hey, hey, I didn't eat nothin'!" said a gruff voice, presumably Vance, from inside the craft.

"WILL YOU ALL BE QUIET?" the pilot(Cap?) roared. "I don't care who ate all the muffins. I care that we're going to leave this planet unscathed!"

The pokéanthros quieted. The pilot sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"Get back on the ship, everyone," said the pilot. "The ship will be fine with the fizzrocket."

Jess and LR went back into the starfighter. Ledge tossed the pilot the fizzrocket and followed his crewmates. The pilot put the part into the engine, which sputtered to life. The pilot slammed the hood shut and walked back into the craft. Misty approached the craft. Impulse took over and, silently as a shadow, she slipped into the craft behind the pilot, who, luckily, didn't notice. Up on deck, the crew would notice her, so she slipped into the cargo hold.

The hold was full of crates secured by cords. Misty hid in a corner behind a large crate and let out a breath, silently. This starfighter was on its way to the Hoenn system. This was Misty's chance to see the galaxy! And maybe, just maybe, she could find somewhere Unaffecteds could be safe. They could be themselves without being executed. Misty fell asleep behind the crate with dreams of seeing the galaxy's sights.

Misty awoke in the cargo hold to a pair of large, brown eyes staring at her. Those eyes were attached to a pale face with short and spiky cream-colored hair coming out of the head. Misty sat up, surprised. The whatever-it-was scrambled off of Misty and looked at her curiously. Misty looked back. It was a female anthro, and a young one. The anthro looked about six human years old. She had big eyes and a freckled face, and was wearing a white short-sleeved shirt over cream-colored overall shorts with red and blue triangles and cream-colored sneakers on her feet.

"Hi," said the anthro. The voice was sweet and innocent, like ice cream. "Who're you?"

"Uh, hi," said Misty. "I'm Misty."

"I'm Skylar. Let's be friends," said the anthro cheerfully. "We can play!"

"I don't think now is the time for playing," said Misty.

"Aww," said Skylar. "We could've played family. You be the mommy, 'kay?"

"Later," said Misty. "We need to be quiet now, okay?"

Skylar nodded eagerly. "Shh."

"Shh," Misty agreed, crossing her legs behind the crate. Skylar sat next to her, leaning her head against Misty's shoulder. Misty tried to sleep with one eye open. If the captain of this ship discovered her and Skylar, who knows what would happen? Skylar sat quietly leaning on Misty's shoulder.

"Misty?" said Skylar after awhile. "Where are you from?"

"I'm from Planet Cerulean," said Misty. "What about you?"

Skylar shook her head. "Dunno. I'm not from a city."

"Wouldn't your mommy or daddy know?" asked Misty.

"Daddy's never home. He left to fly one day and didn't come back. And Mommy knew once, but not anymore. She's gone, too. I don't know where she is. Mommy promised she'd teach me how to fly when I grew up," said Skylar. "They aren't dead. I could tell if they were. They're just not home anymore. When I get bigger, I'm gonna find them. Of course, now works, too."

"My parents don't understand me one bit. They've been brainwashed by 4Kids. And my sister wouldn't care if I left one way or the other," said Misty. "I want to find somewhere I can be myself without getting arrested, and to see the galaxy."

"Why wouldn't they care? Your mommy and daddy are supposed to love you and take care of you, right?" said Skylar.

"In an ideal world, yes. But 4Kids has a city of brainwashed zombies. They wouldn't notice if I crawled home with a busted leg," said Misty.

"Oh," said Skylar. "What's Planet Cerulean like? Is it pretty?"

Misty thought a second. She would've said it was hell in the realworld any given day, but this was a six-year-old. And there were some good things about Cerulean.

"The sunsets," said Misty. "The sunsets are more spectacular than any in the galaxy. All red, and blue, and orange, and yellow, and purple, and pink. And the sun looks like a ball of red fire in the sky. It looks like the heavens are on fire. The clouds look flat on the horizon and they're pink around the rims and purple in the middle. And then it fades out to the most beautiful shades of blue and purple and black as day turns to night. The stars peek out toward the end like glitter against a blanket. And then the fireflies come out and buzz around like little floating lamps. It's the most beautiful thing you've ever seen."

"Whoa," said Skylar, eyes wide. "I wanna see that sometime."

"Maybe someday," said Misty.

"Why does the sky turn different colors when the sun sets?" asked Skylar curiously.

"I can't explain that without explaining all about wavelengths and the electromagnetic spectrum, and I don't know science well enough to make it so you'll understand," said Misty honestly.

"What's a wavelength?" inquired Skylar. "And whats an electromannetic spectrum?"

"I don't know," said Misty, avoiding the question for now.

"Oh," said Skylar. "Why?"

"Why don't I know?" said Misty. Skylar nodded.

"Because I haven't learned it yet," said Misty.

"Why?"

"Because the school system thinks it's too advanced."

"Why?"

"Because nobody listens to minors."

"Why?"

"Because adults think we can't think as well."

"Why?"

"Because lawmakers are stupid."

"Why?"

"Because venusaur have flat feet."

"Oh."

Misty, relieved that the questions were over, let out a breath. Skylar closed her eyes, still leaning on Misty. Questions made one tired. Misty found herself stroking the young anthro's fine hair. Some people thought anthros were less than human just because of their looks. There were no anthros in Ceruleanopolis, but Misty had read news stories online about skirmishes between anthro and human. If it was written by humans, they made the anthros out to be the "bad guys." And if it were written by anthros, they made the humans out to be the "bas guys." Misty thought about this. Did it really matter what species they were? Weren't all living creatures equally at fault? When Misty was first learning to read, she found a holobook in her school library about a time before pokémon evolved to be anthropomorphic. The book was about a girl who was traveling with her friends around a single planet known as Earth. One day, she found a pokémon egg that hatched under her care. The pokémon, a togepi, thought that the girl was her mother, the boy the girl was traveling with was the togepi's father, and all the pokémon were her brothers and sisters. The book was told from the togepi's perspective. At the end, it says, _"Both family and others of not family think we be of a much strange family since we be a mixture of different lookses and beings. However, I's not understand why we be of considering strange family. We be of always looking out for each of others; we believeses in each others; we loveses each others. Why then we be strange, for is that not what family is? Family those we loveses and careses for much, I know with all sureness and contentness. We be not strange then, we just be family, and that is of that."_ (1) Misty remembered thinking about that then. If family is people or anthros you care for, then aren't friends family too? If Skylar really cares for Misty and trusts her, then does that mean Skylar thinks of Misty as her family, even though she's a human and not an anthro? What's really a family? Misty's eyes closed as she drifted into sleep.

**Monkey: Ta-da! Chapter 2 done! Yey! This may seem a bit boring so far, but there's gonna be a lot of action next chapter! 1: Those are the last few sentences of Eeveebeth Fejvu's story, _My Family._ The book Misty read as a kid is based off that story. It's a great story, check it out! And it's narrated by togepi, by the way. Eeveebeth's grammar isn't that bad.**

**Bayleef: DINOSAURS! This chapter is awesome! Skylar's so cute!**

**Monkey: Bayleef, what are you doing here?**

**Bayleef: I got lost on my way to the kitchen...**

**Monkey: There's a map on the wall.**

**Skylar: What's awesome mean? Does it mean good? Why do they call it that?**

**Monkey: Because "awesome" means something that inspires awe.**

**Skylar: Oh.**

**Monkey: I don't own pokémon, nor will I ever.**

**Skylar: Why?**

**Monkey: Because I don't have a bazillion dollars.**

**Skylar: Why?**

**Monkey: Because I haven't sold a million books yet.**

**Skylar: Why?**

**Monkey: Because I haven't even sent one off to be published yet.**

**Skylar: Why?**

**Monkey: Because I've been too busy writing this stuff.**

**Skylar: Why?**

**Monkey: Because I don't want to disappoint the readers.**

**Skylar: Why?**

**Monkey: Because they'll leave bad reviews.**

**Skylar: Why?**

**Monkey: Because snails are slimy.**

**Skylar: Oh.**


	3. Chapter 3: Planet Littleroot

Unaffected

By RoboMonkey2012

**Monkey: Welcome to chapter 3 of Unaffected! Read and review plz!**

Chapter 3: Planet Littleroot

_Bang._ Misty jolted awake, prompting Skylar to lift her head off Misty's shoulder.

"What happened?" asked Skylar.

"We must have docked," noted Misty. As if on cue, the hold's door opened, immersing the hold in light. Misty put a finger to her lips to signal Skylar to be quiet. Then Misty picked Skylar up piggyback style, and ran out of the hold before anyone noticed. When they were safely away from the Comet and out of sight, Misty set Skylar down and took a look around. This was a refueling station on a small town on another planet. Around the gates of the town(not a giant marble wall, just a gate) were huge trees. Not the kind that Misty saw in the forest outside Ceruleanopolis. These trees looked richer, greener, and more exotic. Like a jungle, kind of. It was much warmer here than on Planet Cerulean. Little robobugs(nasty little twits. The robobugs were a failed invention by 4Kids. They were intended to be minicameras) buzzed around, landing on things. They weren't harmful, just annoying. Misty smacked at one that landed on her arm. Misty took a look around the people milling around. There weren't many. The locals were person-shaped, but instead of varying shades of brownish-pink, these people were pale magenta in color, with small antennae sticking above their hair. Misty remembered a school lesson: every planet native had a distinctive quality about them that could determine their subspecies. For Ceruleanites, it was the red or blond hair, fair skin and prominent canine teeth. For Palletians, it was a zigzag on both cheeks and skin with a slightly tanner pigment than Ceruleanites. Magenta skin with antennae... Misty thought. That's it, this is Planet Littleroot! The near-tropical climate and the abundance of robobugs should have clued her in right away.

"Misty? Where are we?" asked Skylar.

"Planet Littleroot," Misty answered.

"Why?" asked Skylar.

"Because the pilot decided to land here," said Misty.

"Why?"

"Because he probably needed to refuel."

"Why?"

"Because engine tanks aren't infinite."

"Why?"

"Because no one's invented infinite engine tanks yet."

"Why?"

"Because no one has the smarts."

"Why?"

"I don't know, Skylar. Just stop asking me questions," said Misty, pinching the bridge of her nose.

"Oh. Okay," said Skylar. "Misty?"

"What is it?" Misty sighed.

"What's that girl doing?" Skylar asked, pointing to a Littlerootian girl about fourteen with brown hair and blue eyes sitting behind the counter at a shop, talking to a big seedy-looking Littlerootian guy with a bald head and a fedora. He was wagging a finger in her face and saying something angrily. Was he Affected? Maybe he was one of those Rocket thugs Misty'd heard about. The girl planted her hands on the counter and yelled a word Skylar didn't hear because Misty clamped her hands over the young anthro's ears. After the girl yelled at the man's face, said face turned bright red, clashing with his magenta skin. The guy cracked his knuckles. The girl's face turned from anger to realization she probably shouldn't have said that. Uh-oh. The guy swung his big, meaty fist in the girl's direction. The girl ducked as the guy's fist came into contact with the glass countertop of the shop. The girl ducked under the guy's arm and ran off, leaving a ringing security alarm, a big bald guy with bleeding knuckles, and some 4Kids cops rushing to the scene. Grabbing Skylar, Misty followed the Littlerootian girl as she ran down the streets in the little town. There was something different about her. Misty didn't think she'd yell an obscenity in someone's face if she were Affected, let alone a beefy guy twice her size. There was a chance she'd find a ally in this girl.

Misty found the girl on an end street climbing over a gate from the part of town with houses. She was followed by thee anthros, a blaziken, a skitty, and a beautifly.

"Damned cops...not gonna tell _me_ what to do...leavin' this place for good..." Misty heard the girl mumble as she climbed.

"Running away, are we?" said Misty. The girl almost fell off the fence.

"Who're you?" she said suspiciously. "You ain't with those cops, are ya?"

"Relax. I just want to ask you something," said Misty.

"Depends," said the girl. "What is it?"

"Are you Affected?" Misty said bluntly.

The girl seemed caught off-guard by this. "Why? Ya gonna snitch on me? Ya do, I break your neck."

"Nope, I don't want to turn you in. Now, are you going to turn me in?" said Misty.

"Well, you sure ain't from 'round here, and you don't seem Affected, either. What ya're sayin' is, you're Unaffected, too?" the girl asked.

Misty nodded. "I'm Misty, by the way, Planet Cerulean. That's Skylar."

The girl stuck out her hand to shake. "Nice ta meet'cha. My real name's Mayesta, but just call me May. This here's Burn, Lily, and Wing." Misty shook the girl's hand.

"Whoa, you sure we can trust her?" said the blaziken, Burn. This anthro was tall, burly, and looked about twenty, making him at about level forty. He had orange-tinted skin, a long, cream-colored mane of hair, and a red jumpsuit with yellow boots and grey wrist wraps with a handmade blaster.

"I think so, I mean, she's not affected, either," said the beautifly, Wing, evenly. She was about sixteen, with pale grey skin, dark hair, two beautifly antennae, and beautifly wings. She wore a grey tank top, a black short-sleeved jacket, grey jean shorts, grey gloves that reached her elbows, and grey combat boots. A slightly rusty handheld StunPhaser hung at her belt along with a thermos of orange liquid.

"Alright," said May. "We'll give ya a chance. But if you give us any reason to think you're gonna turn us in, Burn'll make sure you keep quiet, got it?"

Misty wasn't fazed. "Deal."

Skylar looked positively elated. "That means May and her friends are gonna be our friends, right Misty?" she asked.

"Hopefully," said Misty, ruffling Skylar's hair.

"So what's your mission?" May asked Misty.

"Like, the reason I left my home planet?" said Misty. May nodded. "I want to find somewhere Unaffecteds can live in peace. It's not fair that 4Kids treats some people like less than others because they're resistant to control. You agree?"

"Completely," said May, grinning broadly. Misty smiled, showing her large, sharp canine teeth. "So where's your craft? Ya had to get here somewhere, m'I right?"

Misty stopped smiling. "Ah, about that..."

"Ya stowed away, didn'tcha?" said May, rolling her eyes.

"Er, yeah," said Misty, scratching the back of her head.

May waved her magenta hand nonchalantly. "No biggie. My brother's got a craft he's about ready to fly. C'mon." The Littlerootian gestured for Misty and the anthros to follow her as May strode down the road.

**Monkey: That concludes chapter 3! I would have had this up a lot sooner but I saved it in the wrong file on my computer and it took forever to find. Sowwy!**

**Navy: I'm not in this story, am I?**

**Monkey: You're from Sinnoh, so no.**

**Navy: Damn.**

**Max: When do I come in? I'm a Hoenn character!**

**Monkey: Next chapter, I think. It's gonna be either you or Brendan.**

**May: Who's Brendan?**

**Brendan: Not quite sure myself.**

**May:...I don't think that makes sense.**

**Brendan: It doesn't?**

**Monkey: My point, either Max or Brendan will come in next chapter, along with the official introduction of Ash.**

**Misty: Official?**

**Monkey: You didn't learn Ash's name. You just stole a ride on his starfighter.**

**Ash: She was on my 'fighter?**

**Monkey: Anywho, some 'shipping hints will come in next chapter, too, so stay tuned! Rusty, use DISCLAIMER!**

**Rusty: She no own Pokémon. I liek cheese.**

**Monkey: It's not very effective...**


	4. Chapter 4: Don't Make me Hurt You

Unaffected

By RoboMonkey2012

Chapter 4: Don't make me hurt you

"Ta-da!" May announced, gesturing to a craft about the size of the Comet, but this one was a shade of chrome green with a fatter body and shorter wingspan.

"...Wow?" said Misty.

"It doesn't look like much, but this baby's the fastest in the galaxy!" Lily the skitty chirped. This anthro was about Skylar's level(that would be level three, making the both of them six), with pink hair in two high ponytails, creamy-colored skin, a cream T-shirt, a pink jacket, a pink skirt, and little pink sneakers.

"How fast does it go?" Skylar asked.

"Really fast," said Lily proudly. "But it could use a tune-up."

"But when it's in top condition, it's the fastest in the galaxy by a landslide," said May.

"Not the galaxy. The whole universe," said a new voice proudly. Out from behind the craft came a Littlerootian boy May's age with shoulder-length white hair held back with a pair of rectangular goggles, wearing a chrome green and silver flight suit, with fingerless gloves on his hands and a fully-stocked tool belt with plenty of pockets.

"Oh, hi Brendan. Brendan, Misty, Misty, Brendan. Okay, so Brenny," May began.

"Please don't call me that," said Brendan.

"Ya know the whole thing with the cops and how I said I was getting outta here? Well, the cops are kinda on to me and Misty so we're gonna need your ship, 'kay? Kay. Okay, see ya later!" May said quickly, snatching Brendan's keys and getting into the 'fighter.

"Hey!" Brendan protested, grabbing for his keys, but May held them out of his reach.

"Come on, Brenny," said May, giving him puppy-dog eyes at him in a way no one could resist.

_MAY used COVET!_ Misty thought.

"Not looking, not looking, not looking," Brendan muttered, covering his eyes.

_BRENDAN used LOOK AWAY!_ Misty thought. This was getting funny.

"Ple-e-ease?" May said, turning up the puppy-dog intensity.

_MAY used CHARM!_ Misty fought back laughter.

Brendan made the mistake of looking. "Ugh, fine," he caved. "But some of us are gonna need to stay here. It's gonna be pretty dangerous. I'd suggest Lily and Wing stay."

"That's fine with me," said Wing.

"I guess so," said Lily.

"I'm going, no matter what anyone says," said Burn gruffly.

"That's good. We'll need power on our side," said May.

"I'm going," Misty and Brendan said at the same time.

"So'm I," said May.

Skylar looked torn. "Misty? What do you think I should do?"

Misty thought a minute. She could understand how Skylar felt. She knew the young anthro wanted to find her parents, but it would be really dangerous traveling with three Unaffecteds, possibly more.

"Sorry, Skylar. I think you should stay here," she said finally.

"Okay," Skylar agreed reluctantly. "Misty? If you find my parents, can you bring them back?"

"Of course," said Misty. "Goodbye, Skylar."

"Bye, Misty. Hey, can you make sure to beat the bad guys?" Skylar asked.

"I wouldn't have it any other way," said Misty as she ruffled Skylar's hair and then climbed into the small starfighter.

"Well, time to get going," said Brendan. "Misty?"

"Yeah, let's go," said Misty as the door closed. The roof of the 'fighter's garage rolled back at a touch of a button. The engines started revving, and the fighter lifted off the ground.

"Bye, May! Bye, Brendan! Bye, Misty!" Lily called as the 'fighter flew off into the galaxy.

**Monkey: Okay, I know I promised the introduction of Ash and maybe a 'shipping hint or two, but this fic just kind of wrote itself. And I know you all love Skylar, but she'll probably come back in a couple of chapters. By the way, the next chapter will be author-noted by my other little brother, Blue Dragon Whirlwind Cookie and three of his pokémon: Fearow, Feraligatr, and Lugia. Just fair warning.**

**Voltage: No luxray, hum? Poor him.**

**Hurricane: The world doesn't revolve around you, Voltage.**

**Voltage: I know that! But no one deserves to not have a luxray!**

**Hurricane: Luxrays aren't the top 'mon around here, mister! That honor goes to Absols.**

**Voltage: Says who?**

**Hurricane: Says me!**

**Voltage: Oh yeah?**

**Hurricane: Yeah!**

**Willow: WILL YOU TWO QUIT FLIRTING!**

**Monkey: Sorry about them. They're like Ruby and Sapphire or something.**

**Willow: I said Gold and Crystal!**

**Ace: Huh?**

**Jenny(my servine): My first day in the complex and I'm already regretting agreeing to come here.**

**Rusty: SHE NO OWN POKIES MON!**

**Voltage: Oh yeah?**

**Hurricane: Yeah!**

**Mystique: You mad, bro?**


	5. Chapter 5: Fun Times Aboard the 'Phaser

Unaffected

By RoboMonkey2012

Chapter 5: Fun Times Aboard the Spacephaser

Misty learned very quickly to not annoy May.

"You _bumbler_! What kind of _idiot _would put _Burn_ on KP? _Moron!_"

"The same kind of _imbecilic mammal _that left the planet without giving the ship a tune-up!"

"What the _freaking hell _are ya talking about? Ya're the one driving!"

"Both of you _SHUT UP _and _stop fighting_! I am _trying_ to navigate!" Misty shouted, interrupting the argument.

"You're infuriating!" both May and Brendan shouted to each other in unison, ignoring Misty.

Misty just rolled her eyes and went back to her map of the Hoenn system. They were definitley siblings. The fact May can make puppy-dog eyes and get Brendan to do whatever he wants was a hint.

May gripped the handlebars of the spaceship, grinding her teeth, her right antennae twitching. Brendan monitored the 'fighter's dashboard, listening for warning beeps, clenching and unclenching his fists. For two blessed minutes, it was silent except for the gentle whirring of the 'fighter's engine propelling itself through space.

Misty noticed the asteroid right before Brendan's equipment.

"Brendan-" she began, an urgent tone in her voice.

_BWAARP, BWAARP, BWAARP, BWAARP, BWAARP!_

"What's goin' on?" Brendan shouted over the blaring alarm.

"Asteroid incoming from twelve o'clock, we need to dodge forty degrees upward or...well, you get my idea. May?" Misty said, taking control. She'd never realized she'd be much good in a crisis. Then again, she'd also never realized that she'd be hurtling through space in a beat-up starfighter with two Littlerootian twins.

"On it," May responded, seizing the controls. She pulled upward, or tried to. The ship didn't move. She tried again. Nothing.

"Impact in thirty seconds!" Misty counted down. "Twenty-five!"

"These controls are broken! Somethin's jamming it!" May shouted frantically, trying to pull up again.

"Twenty!" Misty counted, monitoring the incoming asteroid.

"Lemme see," Brendan said urgently, rushing over to the dashboard and crouching underneath it, messing with some controls.

"Fifteen!"

"Brendan, hurry," May said, tapping her foot.

"Workin' on it!" Brendan called back from underneath the dashboard.

"Ten!"

"Brendan!" May shouted.

Brendan's long, limber fingers flew through the wires and buttons, finally reaching what had been clogging it up.

"Five! Brendan, c'mon!"

"Almost got it..." Brendan said.

"Three!"

"I got it!" Brendan shouted. As soon as he pulled it out, May yanked the controls upward and pushed down on the propel pedal so hard it touched the floor. The craft whizzed upwards, doing a full three-sixty before leveling out.

"Phew," sighed Misty, wiping her forehead. "That was way too close."

"Nice job, Brenny," said May, clapping Brendan on the back in what was supposed to be a playful way, but it probably really hurt.

Brendan grinned.

"Hey y'all! Dinner's ready!" Burn called from the galley, followed by a putrid scent that smelled like rotten fish and old cheese with a vague undertone of feet.

May turned green, clashing with her magenta-tinged skin. "What's cookin'?" she groaned, holding her stomach.

"I'm not sure I wanna find out," Misty said, covering her mouth and nose. She was better off than Brendan who, once the smell started, began vomiting down the space waste chute.

"It don't smell that bad, does it?" Burn asked. "Maybe I shoulda added some paprika..."

"No, no, Burn, it's, er, fine. What exactly did ya put in it?" May asked.

"I put in some salmon and pepper and this thing that looked like a block of swiss cheese," Burn answered, scratching his head. "And something red and fuzzy. I think it was a dead tribble."

May went greener. "Uh, Burn, I think I'll skip dinner tonight."

"Me too. And I'm pretty sure the same goes for Brendan," Misty agreed.

Burn looked a little disappointed, but went back into the kitchen saying, "Well, I guess that leaves more for me!"

A minute later, Misty, May, and Brendan heard a sound that sounded like a retching blaziken anthro coming from the kitchen.

"Remind me to take Burn off KP for, um, ever," Brendan said after he got a drink of water.

Misty and May just laughed.

_I might enjoy it on this ship, _Misty thought to herself.

**Blue Dragon Whirlwind Cookie: Hi! I'm RoboMonkey2012's other little brother. Call me Cookie. She let me do the author's notes today! Yay!**

**Feraligatr: Gee, wonder why. I mean, you're, how old, six?**

**Cookie: Eight, and Monkey promised me I could do this! So, someone do the disclaimer.**

**Fearow: ...Not it!**

**Cookie: Not it!**

**Lugia: Not it!**

**Feraligatr: Crud. Neither RoboMonkey2012 nor Blue Dragon Whirlwind Cookie owns pokémon. **


	6. Chapter 6: You'll Never Take me Alive!

Unaffected

By RoboMonkey2012

Chapter 6: You'll Never Take Me Alive, 4Kids Coppers!

~One mainly uneventful starfighter flight later~

"Misty, how far away is Rustboro?" Brendan groaned, slumped over the back of a chair, bored out of his mind.

"We should be there soon, provided there's not any trouble," Misty muttered, preoccupied with the maps.

Everyone in the craft seemed to hold their breath for a moment. Then May let out a laugh.

"Ya know, it would've been perfect timing if somethin' happened _right _then? How'sat for irony?" she chortled.

"Anyway, hopefully we'll be there before lunch," said Misty. "And I'm not about to eat what's in _this_ galley."

"Plus the ship needs a tune-up," May added.

There was silence.

"Anybody know any good songs?" Brendan asked.

May just rolled her eyes.

More silence.

"Oh, crap," May said. "4Kids 'fighters."

"What the hell?" Misty said, scrambling over to the dashboard to see three black-and-white starfighters with the rainbow-colored 4Kids logo on the side and a siren on the wingtips. Behind the minifleet was a towfighter with a blue and bronze ship caught in its tractor beam.

"They've got someone," murmured Brendan, coming up behind May. "That means they'll be on the lookout for Unaffecteds."

"Shit, they're comin' this way!" said May.

"Don't speed up. Act natural. You two just pretend to be brainwashed Affecteds on your way to visit your grandmother or something and I'll..." Misty said, trailing off.

"Hide," May advised. "There's no tellin' if they'll search us or not, but if they do ya shouldn't be found at all."

"Right," Misty said, nodding. She walked into the galley, where Burn was snoring with his face in a _Pokémon _magazine with the cover saying something about Justin Bidoof and Solrock Gomez. She opened a cabinet, moved aside with one finger a block of seemingly mutated cheese, pulled a giant sack in front of her, and tried to look like an oran berry as best as she could.

Endless hours seemed to tick by, but it was probably only ten or twelve minutes.

Someone walked in. Someone wearing heavy boots. 4Kids cops!

Misty heard Burn wake up, make a kind of surprised sound, then fall out of his chair. The next hurried scuffling sounds meant he was standing up and trying to look dignified. The heavy footfalls clomped their way around the galley, opening large cabinets and, likely, looking for Unaffecteds as opposed to, say, a snack. Thinking back, hiding in the kitchen was probably a stupid idea. Seriously, cabinets? The oldest trick in the book! Misty held her breath.

Her cabinet was creaked open.

"See anything?" A gruff, male voice asked.

"Not with my eyes," a female one responded. "Biff, loan me the infrared specs."

"It's Butch," said the first voice. "Gee, Cassidy, after ten years as partners, you oughta learn my name."

"WhatEVER," the woman said. "Just hand me the specs."

"Touchy," said the man. Judging by the sounds of plastic clicking and clothing shuffling, the man, Butch, was giving the device that would lead to Misty's doom to Cassidy.

"Let's see..." said Cassidy. Misty held her breath.

"You see one?" Butch asked.

Misty could hear the evil smirk in Cassidy's voice. "Right here."

A hand with manicured nails pulled away the sack. Misty's muscles tensed, and she bolted, accidentally kicking Butch in the head.

"Ow!" he shouted.

"Hey, get back here!" Cassidy shouted as Misty ran down the hall.

Misty didn't say anything, just kept running. She considered yelling confidently, _"You'll never take me alive, 4Kids coppers!"_ But decided against that.

"Nice one, Misty!" she heard someone say. For a moment, Misty was confused. That was, until she saw May give a mean roundhouse kick to a blue-haired, wimpy-looking 4Kids cop holding Brendan's arm behind his back.

_So much for inconspicuous, _Misty thought as she whirled around to punch Cassidy in the face. Cassidy stumbled backward, clonked her head on the wall, and crumpled to the floor, unconscious. Misty let out a breath, then ran back to May and Brendan. Brendan was sitting on a chair with a stunned expression, and May had just finished taking care of the two 4Kids cops and meowth anthro that had been holding her and Brendan. The three of them were all conked out. May had been grinning until Misty looked at her.

"What? I didn't break any bones!" May said defensively.

Misty just rolled her eyes and walked over to the control panel.

"There was someone in the other craft, the one the 4Kids cops had," said Brendan. "Don't know who."

"So let's get 'em out!" said May.

"How?" Misty asked. "They're in a tractor beam. You can't extend the boarding ramp between ships when they're caught in a beam."

"Simple! We spacewalk!" said May.

"You have officially lost it," Brendan declared after a minute of silence.

**Monkey: I think that's a good place to stop this chapter. Like it? Don't? Let me know in your reviews!**

**Rachel(my baby turtwig): Monkey! Bolt's bugging me!**

**Monkey: Rachel, I'm a bit busy right now.**

**Bolt(my baby charmander): You're such a baby, Rach!**

**Rachel: No I'm NOT!**

**Mika(my much-younger baby charmander): Cookie?**

**Rusty: ROBOMONKEY2012 DOESN'T OWN POKÉMON!**

**Rachel: MONKEEEEY!**

**Bolt: MONKEEEEY!**

**Mika: *starts crying***

**Monkey: This is babysitting gone to hell! SOMEBODY SAVE ME!**


	7. Chapter 7: Sibling Squabbles

Unaffected

By RoboMonkey2012

Chapter 7: Sibling Squabbles

"Spacewalkin'? May, seriously?" Brendan asked.

"Yeah! Okay, we spacewalk to the 4Kids craft holdin' the other 'fighter, release the beam, then we help out the crew! Simple, right?" said May.

"No, not simple! We only have one space suit, we'd have to pick the lock on the doors to both the airlock and the craft, then fight off any grunts inside! And somebody has to stay here to man the Spacephaser! May, ya are insane!" said Brendan.

"That's a simple solution. I go spacewalk, beat up the 4Kids cops, and then come back," said May.

Brendan sighed. "Alright, fine. Ya go spacewalk, get killed by grunts, and I'll write: _Killed at thirteen by extreme stupidity _on yar tombstone."

May gave Brendan the puppy-dog eyes. "_Pwease,_ Brenny?"

"No," said Brendan, covering his eyes. "Not the puppy-dog pout! Anything but that!"

Misty stifled a laugh. Crazies. "Brendan, the idea has it's points," she said as May turned the intensity up.

"No!" said Brendan stubbornly. "May, ya're a member of this crew now, and as captain, I'm not losin' any men!"

"Don't you mean people?" Misty asked pointedly.

"Right, yes, people," Brendan corrected himself.

"What crew! Last I checked, ya were just some kid with a homemade starfighter!" May argued, stopping the puppy-face.

"Ya and Burn and Misty! I made this 'fighter, which makes me captain, and now ya three are my crew! It's simple math, May!" Brendan said stubbornly.

"Ya're not Dad, Brendan! You don't need to protect me!" May said, her voice raising to shouting levels.

"Damn straight I'm not Dad! Dad would've made ya go himself!" Brendan shouted back.

Misty could tell Brendan had hit too close to home on that one. May stopped arguing, glared at Brendan, and walked off.

"I prob'ly shouldn'tave said that," Brendan muttered.

"Gee, you think?" said Misty sarcastically.

_Warning: Airlock open. Stand clear,_ the grainy computerized voice broadcast from the speakers.

"That'd be May," Brendan muttered dejectedly.

"Brendan, think about it. You saw your sister earlier. She took out those grunts with a single punch. She's climbed over a barbed-wire fence. When we first met, she said if I turned her in she'd break my neck, and I have no doubts what she's capable of," Misty consoled him.

"I know," Brendan muttered. "But still."

"It's not your job to protect May. You're her brother, and you both have to watch each other's backs, but you've also got to allow each other some breathing room. I don't know May as well as you do, but something tells me that even though you doubt her skills, she's got this one in the bag. You got it, Brendan?" Misty finished.

"Yeah," Brendan said. "I just don't want to lose her. She's basically ma only family, consid'rin' how messed up our heritage is and how messed up the government will always be."

"Tell me about it," Misty groaned. "I _wish_ my sister was like yours. My parents probably don't even know I'm gone."

"Oh, ours do. By now, ours have likely locked onto our coordinates and ready to nab us once we land in Rustboro," said Brendan.

Misty looked confused.

"Our dad's a Battle Master. Battle Master of planet Petalburg's Arena," Brendan explained.

"Ah," said Misty.

"And Mom...well...that's not somethin' I like to talk about," said Brendan. "May and I'll tell ya."

Misty nodded, the conversation over.

Something on the control panel dinged. Misty looked to the blinking button and saw a ShipLink request.

"That'll be May," said Misty, pushing the _confirm_ button.

_Attention: Connecting Starfighters. Stand clear of airlock doors,_ the computers said.

Misty and Brendan, followed by a confused-looking Burn holding a different issue of _Pokémon, _this one blaring something Misty couldn't read, hurried over to the airlock doors to see the boarding ramp connect between ships. The doors slid open to see May grinning like, _I told you I could do it!_, a tall, twenty-something, tan-skinned Pewterite with the squinty eyes all Pewterites had, a slightly short Palletian Misty's age, maybe a bit younger, that looked vaguely familiar, a pikachu anthro in a mechanic's cap that looked very familiar, and a large meat-wall of an onix anthro.

Sure enough, once the airlock doors closed and the cabin doors opened, May grinned triumphantly.

"What was that about _Killed at thirteen by extreme stupidity,_ dear brother?" May said, cocking her head with a grin.

Brendan sighed. "We'll talk about it later. Meanwhile, who are they?"

"Guys, meet Ash, Brock, LightningRod, and Kron, captain and sorta-crew of the _Bronze Bullet_," May introduced the people and pokémon standing behind her.

LightningRod...LR! This was the same pikachu as before, when Misty, ahem, "borrowed" a ride on the _Comet._

_Better keep quiet about that, _Misty thought. _Even if they're not Affected and I don't have Skylar with me._

"So this is your ship, huh?" said the Palletian, Ash. "How fast does it go?"

"Fast," Brendan answered. "But it needs a tune-up. That's why we're headed to Rustboro."

"Rustboro, huh?" Ash answered with a childish glint in his eye. "That's where the Hoenn system's first Battle Arena is, right?"

"Yeah," said Brendan. "Oh, you're taking the Arena Challenge!"

"Bingo. Are you?" Ash asked.

"Funny story, that," said Brendan nervously. "We'll tell you later."

Ash nodded.

"So, who exactly are you?" Misty asked Ash.

"My name is Ash Ketchum from Planet Pallet, and I'm gonna be the PokéAnthro Battle Master of EVERYTHING!" Ash shouted.

"Oh-kay..." said Misty. "My name is Misty of Planet Cerulean, navigator of the _Spacephaser._"

"Cool," said Ash, who then went off with LR the pikachu to explore the ship.

"May, don't worry me like that!" scolded Brendan.

May sighed. "I know. And I'm sorry. But I couldn't have just left them there!"

"Yeah...I worry too much. You're forgiven," said Brendan.

"I never asked for forgiveness in the first place," said May.

"Well, you would have eventually, I just saved a bunch of time," Brendan countered.

"You are so annoying," May sighed.

"Yeah, but you love me anyways, right sis?" said Brendan.

May smacked him in the head. "Don't wear it out."

Misty, watching and leaning against the wall, smirked at how...normal it was. If her sister were Unaffected like she was, if the city she lived in weren't surrounded by a giant marble wall that served no purpose but to fence people in, then maybe she wouldn't feel so rebellious. Then again, she would have never met May, or Brendan, or Skylar, or even Burn, and wouldn't have had the chance to go on this crazy, adrenaline-packed-yet-boring adventure across the galaxy. And even though she'd been on this dump for, oh, a day and a half, she already felt like May and Brendan and Burn were her family.

_Well,_ Misty thought. _A little bit of action and stress'll do that to you._

**Monkey: I think that's a good place to stop for now. God, this chapter was giving me trouble. And MUST I torture myself with these backstories?**

**Swordsman: I find them very enjoyable, Mistress.**

**Monkey: Stop calling me that.**

**Swordsman: It is my way of showing you respect, Mistress.**

**Monkey: It's annoying.**

**Ramona: I think he played too much Dungeons&Druddigon when he was a kid.**

**Monkey: Oh, God, I love that game.**

**Willow: Nerd.**

**Rusty: CHEESE!**

**Ramona: RoboMonkey2012 does not own pokémon, fortunately for everyone.**


	8. Chapter 8: I'm On a Bit Of a Budget

Unaffected

By RoboMonkey2012

**Hi everyone, I present to you chapter 8, complete with a POV change! Enjoy, read, and review!**

Chapter 8: I'm on a Bit of a Budget

Leaf was tired. She'd stayed up all...freaking...night...all for a client. And because she was a perfectionist. It just had to be perfect. One more job...maybe two...and she'd finally be done.

Stupid lasers.

Leaf rested her head on her table, the cold metal soothing under her sweaty cheek, praying to every legendary she knew and some that probably didn't exist that no one she knew interrupted her, for their life's sake. On thirty minutes of sleep a night, anyone could tell her she could be a total witch.

The bell to her shop jangled as a customer strolled in. Affecteds, all of 'em. Except for her, as far as she knew.

"E'scuse me, miss, I'm lookin' for a top quality weapon," said a voice that definitley didn't belong in the backstreet urban labyrinth of Planet Rustboro. A voice that belonged to a boy, probably no older than twelve or thirteen, from Littleroot or some similar small planet by his accent. Of course, people from Rustboro had an accent, too, but it was much stronger, sounding quite a bit like an accent from a TV show, called "cockney."

Leaf looked up from under her fisherman's hat.

"Somethin' I can do fer you?" she asked.

"I'm lookin' for a weapon," said the boy again.

"I _'eard_ that, wha' kinda weapon are you lookin' for?" Leaf said, ticked.

"Somethin' that'll blow through metal," said the boy, browsing the selections of weapons Leaf had made, improved, or bought that were up for purchase.

"Well, you're not gonna find any'thin' for your use 'ere," sighed Leaf. "You'll want'ta go somewhere else for'at."

The boy put his hands on Leaf's desk. "I'm on a budget here. I'm lookin' for somethin' cheap and somethin' good."

"And just ou'are you?" Leaf asked suspiciously.

"I can't tell ya that."

"What're you 'ere for?"

"I can't tell ya that either."

"Then get outta my shop," said Leaf, fed up with his vague answers. "I can't 'elp you 'ere."

The boy sighed. "Ma name is Brendan of Planet Littleroot. I'm an Unaffected. Me, my sister, and our teammates are gonna defeat 4Kids and free the galaxy."

Leaf blinked. Customers, if they were, indeed, Unaffected or up to something, they never came in with the truth. They always had a story. This white-haired kid, on the other hand, came with the truth and nothing but the truth.

"Well, if you'd just said so," said Leaf, grinning craftily. "C'mere."

Leaf stood up and led the boy-Offhandedly, she noticed he was taller than her despite being a year or so younger-to the back room of her shop, where, instead of the somewhat-orderly shelves and bins of the showroom, weapons were stacked in large, haphazard piles around the floor, except for a long L-shaped desk littered with half-made lasers and various tools.

"Watch'er step," Leaf warned as Brendan tripped over a stray welding mask.

"Thanks," said Brendan sarcastically.

Leaf sat down behind her desk and pulled on some fingerless gloves. Then she got out a metal box with a lock and a handle, setting her fisherman's hat on a pile of wires.

"So, you're Unaffected, and y'want a good weapon, s'at right?" Leaf asked.

Brendan nodded. "More than one, if I can afford it."

"A'roight, but I'll have to come 'long to make sure it keeps wo'kin properly," said Leaf, reaching back under her desk. "And I think I got just the thing."

Brendan nodded. Strange, not many people agreed to her deals that fast. She didn't bring many people into the back room to begin with, and those that did never seemed to trust her. She couldn't blame them; she had a reputation as a shifty character, and lived up to it. She wasn't a liar, she just came off as dangerous. But this kid seemed to trust her, for some reason she couldn't comprehend. Maybe he was desperate. Maybe he'd dealt with people like her before. Whatever it was, this kid had the truth and nothing but the truth, and Leaf didn't quite know what to make of it.

Leaf pulled out a long weapon six feet long with a cylindrical barrel and two large hunks of metal at the end, so it looked like a futuristic dumbbell wrapped in paper.

Brendan watched as Leaf unwrapped the paper to reveal a staff. At one end, the metal was green and shaped like a sort of very fat letter U with one end chopped short. Holes near the end where the laser came out were arranged in a circle. At the other end was a chunk of metal purely for balance, so the user could spin the staff around and not have any problems.

"Wow," said Brendan. "I'll take it, how much?"

"Two hundred bucks," Leaf answered.

"Eh, I'm on a bit of a budget. How about...a hundred?"

"One-seventy."

"One-thirty."

"One fifty."

"One forty."

"Done," said Leaf, sticking out her hand to shake. "I'd like to say you drive a hard bargain, but we really need to work on your haggling skills."

Brendan shook Leaf's hand and picked up the weapon. "So how does it work?"

Leaf took the weapon and took aim at the wall covered in dents from previous tests. The staff made a warming-up sound, then a separate beam from each laser hole combined into one, making an ultra-powerful blast that dented the wall again.

"It'd tear right through, but I reenforced it. And I'd have to pay," said Leaf, handing Brendan the staff.

Brendan was in geek heaven with that weapon.

"Well, c'mon then," said Leaf briskly, throwing a duffel bag over her shoulder.

"Wait, what?" said Brendan, jogging to follow her.

"I told you, I'd have t'come to make sure the weapon works prop'ly," said Leaf, grabbing the store keys and proceeding to flip off light switches and change the sign on the door from OPEN to CLOSED.

"Oh, right," said Brendan, leaving the store behind Leaf with the little bell jangling. Leaf locked the door on her shop and then stuck the keys in a pocket on her duffel bag, following Brendan back to his ship.

**Monkey: And that concludes this update. We meet Leaf, who runs a weapons dealership on Planet Rustboro. I know it's wrong to play favorites, but I've enjoyed writing through Leaf. Maybe that's what my problem was, I needed a shift in perspective from Misty.**

**Navy: You're talking to yourself again.**

**Monkey: So?**

**Navy: It's weird.**

**Monkey: At least I'm not emo.**

**Navy: Hey, you made me!**

**Monkey: I can un-make you anytime I please, you know.**

**Navy: *gulp* RoboMonkey2012 does not own pokémon, but she does own me(as I am reminded daily...).**


	9. Author's Note

**I know y'all were expecting a long-overdue chapter from me. But I've got another plan. In my inactivity on , I've been writing other things. Exploring other genres and developing my own style. I have improved so, so much. So what am I gonna do? Why, rewrite the entire story. Knowing myself, it'll start out the same, but the plot may wind up entirely different.**

**I'd also like to take this opportunity to say thank you. Thank you for the favorites, reviews, and subscriptions. You have no idea how much it means to me when I get constructive feedback on my work. So, I'll say it again, thank you.**

**Stay tuned for the rewrite and keep writing! Robo out.**


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